All Rise...

Editor's Note

The Charge

Action, imported.

The Case

From Korea, a crime thriller about a crusty police captain named Baek (Han
Suk-Kyu) and his last job. Set to retire, Baek finds himself dragged in for one
more investigation. A massive heist is pulled off, the target a big-named
mobster who's none too happy about his now significantly lightened change purse.
As Baek digs into the robbery, his path crosses with another criminal (Cha
Seung-weon) who is involved with the crime somehow—but his true
motivations are unclear.

The two men continue to maneuver while on the periphery; dope criminals and
ambitious cops circle each other. The endgame eventually plays itself out on the
docks, where a gunfight awaits, as well as a series of betrayals and the
possible squashing of a dude thanks to a dropped shipping container.

Eye for an Eye is a solid little slab of crime adventure, highlighted
by two top-tier performances and a clever, engaging plot. Han and Cha are
magnetic guys, pitted against each other—then aligned together—and
their chemistry powers the entire film. I am reminded of the classic Infernal Affairs, not because of
the plot—which, admittedly, is superior to that of Eye for an
Eye—but it's similarity in basing the production around the strength
of the principals. Thankfully, the story serves Han and Cha's characters well,
leaving them with satisfying culminations.

If you're tuning in for big action, you will likely be disappointed. There
are three sequences that sport some mayhem: the opening heist, a car chase and
the final showdown at the pier. The first is bullet-free sleight-of-hand, the
second is a satisfying dose of vehicular nuttiness and the finale is more or
less tension that ends with a pretty sweet death scene.

The DVD is simple, an attractive 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer
joined by a 5.1 surround mix (Korean with English subtitles) and no extras.